Vegan Lasgana (That Tastes Like the Real Thing!)
1 (25 ounce) jar spaghetti or marinara sauce (I use Organicville's Portobello Mushroom)
1 tablespoon olive oil, for sauteing
4 ounces canned mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 links vegan sausage, sliced (The Grain Meat Co.'s Italian Sausage works really well in this)
4 ounces black olives, sliced
4 ounces green olives, sliced
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, squeezed
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
16 ounces precooked lasagna noodles
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Heat sauce according to the directions on the jar, or on medium-high, then turn down to low heat once the sauce is warm. Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan to saute the mushrooms, onion, and sausage until the onion is transparent and the sausage is slightly browned.
2. Once the mushrooms, onion, and sausage are cooked, add them to sauce, as well as the green and black olives. Let it simmer on low heat while you make the tofu cheese, so that the flavors can mix before it's baked.
3. Crumble tofu in a large mixing bowl until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and nutritional yeast to the tofu, and mix well with a fork (it gets sticky) until all of the tofu is coated with nutritional yeast.
4. Ladle the sauce to coat the bottom of the dish you're using to cook the lasagna (7 x 9" square casserole dish is perfect, if you have one). Next, add 2 layers of 2 lasagna noodles (it sounds like too many noodles, but it's not!). Then, ladle enough sauce to coat the top layer of noodles.
5. Layer the tofu cheese on top of the noodles. You'll have to spread it out with your fork a little, as it tends to clump together. Add the next two layers of lasagna noodles, and continue with the noodle layer, sauce layer, tofu cheese layer pattern until you have used up all of the ingredients. You will want to make sure that the top layer of noodles has enough sauce to completely cover all of the noodles, because otherwise the noodles will become hard while baking.
6. Tightly crimp two layers of aluminum foil over the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the layers of foil and bake uncovered for 20 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
I've made at least four different variations of these, and each one was good, just different. Experiment with it, put your own spin on it, and have fun with it!
Source of recipe: This is a very modified version of the tofu ricotta and vegan lasagna recipes in the Veganomicon.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Hi Animaluver! With this recipe and the Grain Meat Co.'s Italian sausage, I haven't had a problem with the sausage getting soggy. I just slice it, then brown it in a skillet. I definitely recommend slicing it instead of crumbling it, though, I think that would help a lot. Also, if you're worried about the sausage, I've made this recipe without it, and I have family member who like it better without the sausage, so if you decide to omit it, you're not taking out an essential part of the recipe. Hope this helps!
Hi! I've made pasta dishes with faux sausage before and the problem I have is that the sausage becomes very soggy, and the texture is just gross! Anyone know how to combat this? I've tried browning the sausage completely in a skillet before adding it to a casserole, but it always gets soggy (and gross). It's happened with lasagna too.
I'm gonna try this, sounds great!!!